You should get vaccinated against this now

So far there is no Covid-19 vaccine, but known vaccines could also help in the crisis. That would be particularly important for risk groups in order to mitigate the course. An overview.

What does the corona pandemic mean for vaccination? There is still no immunization against the new virus itself. What awaits a vaccine Robert Koch Institute (RKI) only early next year, and then not directly for everyone.

It is important to maintain a good general health in the population to alleviate the health system, according to the RKI. A comprehensive vaccination protection in accordance with the recommendations of the Permanent Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) could contribute to this. Some examples:

Influenza: vaccination for the elderly

The main risk groups for COVID-19 and influenza are consistent: people over 60 and patients with underlying illnesses are particularly at risk. Therefore, STIKO particularly recommends influenza vaccination for these groups this year. There was little interest in this in the 2018/19 season. According to the RKI, only about a third of older people (35 percent) were immunized. In people with underlying chronic diseases, it was one-fifth to one-half.

In addition, there is a vaccination recommendation for medical personnel in hospitals, nursing facilities and the elderly and in the health sector, as well as for pregnant women and residents of nursing homes or for the elderly. If all these groups want a vaccine, it would be about 40 million people. However, only about 26 million cans are offered. Is there a bottleneck?

“We currently see no shortage of flu vaccines for the 2020/21 flu season in Germany,” says Klaus Cichutek, president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI). “We expect manufacturers to provide at least 21 million cans.” 13.6 million cans have already been released for Germany after batch testing, a normal number for this time of year. “In the current coronavirus pandemic in particular, vaccination against influenza can only be recommended,” emphasizes Cichutek.

Additional flu vaccine by the end of the year

The Federal Ministry of Health has also purchased six million doses of flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season, says spokesman Sebastian Gülde. These would be available gradually until December, most in November and December. The financing comes from funds that the Federal Ministry of Finance also provides to deal with the corona pandemic. In the previous season, only 21 million doses of vaccine were available. “The experience of recent years has also shown that the amounts of vaccine available in each case were not fully used in the respective season,” adds Gülde.

How effective the new Flu shot it cannot be predicted. Based on annual and global monitoring of circulating influenza viruses, the World Health Organization for the Northern Hemisphere recommends the composition of the vaccine for the next season starting in February. After that it occurs. Depending on accuracy, protection from vaccination can fluctuate, usually between 20 and 60 percent. The RKI emphasizes that influenza has a milder course in vaccinated people, that is, with fewer complications than in unvaccinated people.

Should children get the flu vaccine?

STIKO does not recommend vaccinating children specifically or only children who are at increased risk of complications because of certain pre-existing diseases. The German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases advises that children get vaccinated. “We know that children largely transmit the influenza virus,” says Johannes Huebner, senior physician and president of the “Welt am Sonntag” society. In times of the corona pandemic, in addition to the risks to children’s health, there is a social obligation to protect others.

Medical President Klaus Reinhardt spoke to Funke’s media group in favor of the most comprehensive flu vaccination possible for educators and teachers. In his opinion, the wave of flu could be more harmless than in previous years, in part due to the hygiene rules of the crown.

Pneumococci: vaccination could prevent superinfection

the PneumococciAccording to the RKI, vaccination does not protect against Covid-19. However, infections with these bacteria can lead to severe pneumonia and blood poisoning. The RKI has so far assumed that pneumococcal vaccination can prevent bacterial superinfection by this pathogen in patients with Covid-19. Bacterial superinfections caused by pneumococci are a well-known complication of influenza illness.

Currently, a pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax 23) is only available to a limited extent in Germany. For this reason, people who are at particularly high risk for this disease should get vaccinated at this time. These include children in the first two years of life and people aged 60 years or older who have not been vaccinated against this pathogen in the last six years. People with chronic lung or heart disease, insulin-dependent diabetes, or certain neurological diseases are also at higher risk and should be vaccinated.

High demand encourages vaccine production

In connection with the pandemic, the demand for Pneumovax 23 has increased considerably around the world and also in Germany, says Ariane Malfertheiner, spokesperson for the manufacturer MSD. About 1.2 million cans went on the market in Germany in 2019. The company plans 2.5 million cans in 2020 and around 2.6 million cans in 2021. Vaccine production is very complex and can take up to 36 months. Only in exceptional cases could stocks be reallocated between countries. In early May, the company managed to import 320,000 cans of Pneumovax 23 from Japan and make them available to the German market.

“All pneumococcal vaccine manufacturers this year brought additional doses of vaccines to the German market due to high demand,” says PEI President Cichutek. Since increasing production takes months, temporary bottlenecks can still arise for a while.

Whooping cough: Avoid wasting due to whooping cough.

too whooping cough it is caused by bacteria. Strong coughing attacks are typical of this infectious disease of the respiratory tract. People who are already weakened by Sars-CoV-2 may be more affected by an infection. Or vice versa: according to the RKI, the coronavirus could have a better time with people who are already weakened by whooping cough.

Vaccination is always carried out in combination with other vaccines. In addition to children, all adults should also get a pertussis vaccine once during their next tetanus and diphtheria vaccination. In addition, women should be vaccinated in each pregnancy, usually starting at week 28.